The Shadows Cometh
by DarkCrucifix
Summary: Gene and the rest of the OLS crew are the targets of a mysterious, dark outlaw. Before Gene can confront him, however, he must confront the evil within himself. R&R!!! This is a very dark fic.
1. The Fortelling

DBThe Shadows Cometh  
  
By: DarkCrucifix  
  
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Disclaimer: I do not own Outlaw Star or any Outlaw Star characters.  
  
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Leaves swirled around the mysterious figure that stood on the hilltop, its face covered by the collar of a long, black trenchcoat. For close to an hour it simply stood in that one place, never moving so much as an inch, looking down upon the vast city with its dazzling lights. Slowly it turned away, and walked off into the cold night.  
  
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Gene Starwind sat up in bed, sweating. His eyes were still wide with the horrible memory of his vivid dream. His shaking hand groped for the Caster at the side of his bed, and when he found it he immediately clutched it to himself. Nothing had ever frightened him so badly.  
  
"Calm down Gene," he repeated to himself over and over. "It was only a dream. Nothing to worry about." Part of him argued with that statement. But it was so real.he thought. He lay back down and tried to go back to sleep, but he could not chase away that thought.  
  
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"What the hell is wrong with you, Gene?" Jim asked harshly at the dinner table. Gene's eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and twice he had nearly fallen face first into his plate of pancakes.  
  
"Nothing really." He replied slowly. "Just a rough night, that's all."  
  
Aisha grinned at him from across the table, eyes narrowed into mocking slits. "I think big, strong Gene is afraid of the dark. what's wrong, do you need someone to protect you tonight?"  
  
All signs of Gene's exhaustion vanished as he jumped up angrily and slammed his fists down onto the table, sending a fork clattering to the floor. "What, someone like you, bitch? Oh, I'm sorry, you'll be too busy cuddling with your little Jimmy."  
  
Aisha jumped up out of her chair, her eyes fireballs of hatred. For a moment they both stood there, their eyes locked, glaring at one another. Finally they both stormed out of the room in anger.  
  
Suzuka, who had been quietly watching the two from her side of the table, shook her head slowly in pity for the two. "Melfina," she called to the black- haired girl standing next to the microwave. "More tea, please."  
  
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Gene sat on the edge of his bed, chin cupped in his hands, staring out the window. Last night's dream was still vivid in his mind, and he recalled the odd rumors that he had heard about a new, dark outlaw on Sentinel III the night before at the bar. Something about the two bothered him greatly, but he didn't know what. Sighing, he lay back on his bed. It was going to be a long, frustrating day at Starwind & Hawking Enterprises. 


	2. Mystery

DB The Next Chapter.  
  
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Gene looked around nervously. He was in a vast, grassy field, with a dark, brooding sky overhead. Where the hell am I? He thought. I don't remember coming here.  
  
Suddenly, a hand on his shoulder made him spin around. "Wha." he began to say, but stopped when he looked up to see who it was. Lord Hazanko. Yelling in surprise and fear, as well as anger, he stumbled away from the imposing figure. "What the hell are you doing here?" He blurted out, feeling for his Caster at his side. He groaned when he realized it wasn't there.  
  
"I'm watching you, Gene." Hazanko rasped in his harsh voice. "Always watching." He reached out to grab Gene.  
  
"No!" Gene yelled. "Stay away from me!" With that, he took off running, stumbling over dips in the rough ground. He finally came to a halt, breathing hard. Slowly he looked behind him. No one there; he sighed with relief. When he turned back around, he gave a small yell of surprise. Standing in front of him was a man about his height, wearing a long, black trenchcoat. Blond hair swayed slowly in front of his eyes in the wind, which was all that Gene could see of his face. "Who are you?" He asked slowly.  
  
The man replied "Come to the fields tomorrow. I will await you there," as if ignoring his question. Before Gene could say anything else, the man simply turned and walked away, fading as he did so.  
  
Gene stood there for a moment, staring at the spot where the man had been standing. He shook his head and turned back around, only to find the Anten 7 standing there. Slowly, they approached him. Gene knew that he wouldn't be able to fight all of them without any of his weapons, so he tried to run. "No! Damn it!" He yelled when he found that his feet were rooted to the spot. The 7 advanced on him, and all he could do was struggle.  
  
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"Ahhhhh!" Gene screamed as he sat up wide-eyed in bed. It took a moment for his breaths to slow, and when they did, he laughed at himself. "It was only another dream, Gene." He said to himself, laughing at his stupidity. But am I really that stupid? Gene thought to himself. That dream was so vivid, so real. Just like the last night's dream. He still remembered that first night's dream all to well. It was as if it had actually happened. Shaking his head once more, he struggled out of bed and hurriedly pulled a pair of pants on, then ran as fast as he could to the kitchen for breakfast.  
  
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Much to the surprise of Jim, Melfina and Suzuka, Gene and Aisha paid absolutely no attention to each other that morning. Both sat in silence throughout breakfast, and finally Gene pushed his chair out, stood up, and walked out of the room. He reappeared a few minutes later wearing his cloak and holding his Caster at his side. Without a word, he opened the front door of the building and sauntered outside.  
  
Once the main door to Starwind & Hawking Enterprises had shut behind him, Gene grimaced to himself. Well, he thought. I might as well see if the message in last night's dream will be true. He smiled slightly as he started off down the busy streets the city on of Sentinel III. What a fool I am.  
  
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Gene soon neared the edge of the city, beyond which the fields lay. As soon as the final building was behind him, he broke into a swift jog. When he reached the edge of the fields, he stopped, peering out into the expanse of grass. Even though he saw nothing out in the flatlands, he decided to keep moving forward.  
  
Gene walked for what seemed like quite a long time, but no matter which way he looked, he saw nothing. He slowed to a halt, and began to laugh silently at himself. "I am such an idiot." he mumbled under his breath. He decided it was time to turn back.  
  
Just as he began to turn around, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Slowly he turned back the way he had been facing to get the object into his full range of vision. He wasn't quite sure what it was at first, but as he peered closer, he gasped in shock. There's no way! I. must be crazy.  
  
Standing little more than 200 feet away from Gene was a man. A man in a black trenchcoat, with blond hair. 


	3. Outlaw Meets Outlaw

Well, I plan to continue with this story for a while, but things may change. In this chapter, Gene Starwind finally meets the threat. But is this threat really the most dangerous force in play? I hope you enjoy.  
  
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Gene slowly made his way through the tall grass towards the strange man, sweat beading on his face. "How can this be?" He kept thinking as he approached. "It was only a dream. but I thought it seemed real. No, this can't be happening! It's all too weird!"  
  
When Gene was within a few feet of the man, the man glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, not turning around from his position staring out across the fields, away from Gene. Suddenly, the man turned to face Gene, sizing him up with cold eyes. "So you've come," he said in a deep, matter-of-fact voice.  
  
"Who are you?" Gene demanded, slightly nervous. The man made him very nervous. "And why . how. what do you want from me? Why are you messing with my mind?"  
  
The man smiled, his trenchcoat rippling in the wind. "You ask many questions, perhaps too many. I am called Seth Furngollse. As for your other questions, you will find out soon enough."  
  
Gene scowled. "But how-?" He began.  
  
Seth interrupted him. "I know much about you, Gene Starwind. More than you would expect, certainly." Gene let his hand run across the Caster at his side. This man was making him increasingly unsettled.  
  
"I don't understand. why have you come here? What do you want with me?"  
  
"Told you, you will find out soon enough. All in good time."  
  
"You have no right. answer me, damnit!" Gene yelled, his voice echoing eerily around the fields.  
  
The other man's expression did not change. "No need for that," He replied. "You will have all of the answers soon enough."  
  
Gene trembled slightly with rage. This man was really pissing him off. Struggling to control his temper, he asked through gritted teeth, "All right, then. Why did you ask me to come here?"  
  
"The answer is very simple," Seth replied. "I have heard of the way you fight Hazanko and the Anten 7, and I wanted to meet you myself. You seem to be a good challenge, Gene, and I am always up for a challenge."  
  
"So you want to fight me?" Gene asked incredulously.  
  
"Not just you," Seth said, and he jerked his head slightly in the direction of the city. "Your entire crew."  
  
Gene smiled to himself. This man was either an idiot, very brave, or overconfident. "By yourself?" He asked doubtingly.  
  
"Yes. That just makes it all the more fun then, doesn't it?" Seth smiled again, a slightly wicked, slightly adventurous smile.  
  
Gene removed his Caster from his side. Yup, this Seth was an idiot. "Well then, do you want to fight me now, outlaw?" Gene kept his Caster in plain sight.  
  
"Why, no," Seth replied, reaching into his trenchcoat and pulling out a gun to display his weaponry as well. "I want to wait until you and your crew are together."  
  
Gene simply gaped at the man's statement. How could anyone be so crazy? After a moment, though, curiosity replaced his shock, and his eyes strayed to the weapon in Seth's hand. "What kind of gun is that?" He asked.  
  
It looked almost exactly like his Caster, except that it was a blue- green color and slightly longer. It also had some strange, blade-like object protruding forward under the barrel. Seth grinned. "This is called a Zweishalten. It is a more advanced version of your Caster. I suppose no one around here has heard of it, yet."  
  
Gene scowled again. So the man had him outclassed in terms of firepower. He could still take him down. He put the Caster back at his belt. "So, when should I meet you again? You do want to duel." The last part was almost a question.  
  
Seth twirled the Zweishalten casually before shoving it back inside his trenchcoat. "Don't worry, my friend. I shall find you. But for now, good day." With that, he turned around and walked off through the knee-high grass.  
  
Gene shook his head in confusion before turning back to return to the city. This was all too weird.  
  
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Melfina and Suzuka gave a start as the front door opened and Gene entered. Suzuka raised an eyebrow as he sat down at the table where they were drinking green tea.  
  
"Where have you been, may I ask?" She inquired in that smooth tone of hers.  
  
Gene groaned. "Just somewhere attempting to solve a mystery, that's all."  
  
"I see." Suzuka replied.  
  
"I'm going to bed. See ya in the morning," Gene slurred, yawning.  
  
After Gene had shuffled out of the room, Melfina spoke. "Why do you suppose Gene has been sleeping so much lately?"  
  
"Well, it does not seem to unusual for him. I would not worry about it."  
  
"Mmmm." Melfina replied, taking a sip of her tea and staring at the hallway.  
  
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Gene slumped down onto his bed, not bothering to remove his cloak. He had no idea why he kept wanting to go to bed; the dreams would only plague him again. Oh well, he thought. They were only dreams. But they were so vivid and troubling, as if they had actually happened. Despite his fears, Gene did not dwell on the idea for long. Soon he drifted slowly off to sleep.  
  
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I hope everyone still likes this. As long as you like it, I will write more. 


	4. Inner Dangers

For all of you who wanted me to continue with this fic, this is for you! But be warned, the story becomes even darker at this point. Enjoy.  
  
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It was early morning; the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon of Sentinel III. Aisha was up much earlier than usual, keeping herself busy in the newly installed weight room at Starwind & Hawking Enterprises. She had hardly broken a sweat, even though she was lifting a pair of 112-pound weights, and had been doing so for almost twenty minutes. Suddenly, the sound of the weight room door opening surprised her, and she set down the weights. Her ears twitched as she glanced around the room quickly. No one was there.  
  
She was just about to pick up the weights again when a dark figure appeared beside her. She looked up at him. Despite the lights in the room, the man was surrounded in darkness. "Who are you?" She demanded.  
  
Suddenly the man reached out and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her upright. He shoved her over to the wall, and held her pinned there. Despite Aisha's struggles to escape, she could not loosen the man's grip. "How can you do this?" She growled in frustration. "I am C'tarl C'tarl!" The man said nothing, and Aisha gasped as a knife flashed forward from somewhere in the man's black clothing. Her eyes went wide as he held the knife to her throat. She stared at him in disbelief, and he lifted his face to stare into her eyes. She gasped when she saw who he was.  
  
Before she could even scream, the man slashed the knife across her throat. Her blank eyes stared at him as they glazed over in death. As blood gushed from the slash, she managed to choke out one last word. "Why."  
  
The man released his grip on the C'tarl C'tarl's shoulder, and her limp body fell lifelessly to the ground. The man simply chuckled under his breath, and walked away.  
  
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Gene Starwind ran across the fields as fast as he could, tears of rage and mindless grief streaming from his eyes. When he had found Aisha's lifeless body in the weight room.it had been too much. Now he charged across the empty plains, searching for the man he knew he would find there.  
  
Suddenly he saw a hint of black in the distance, and he pumped his legs faster. "Seth!" He yelled in a rage. When he finally reached the man, who was looking in the opposite direction, he slammed into him and brought him to the ground.  
  
Seth Furngollse struggled upright, pushing Gene away from him. He was still wearing that disturbing grin. "Hello, Gene."  
  
Shaking with grief and rage, Gene pulled the Caster from his belt and aimed it at Seth. "You killed Aisha!" He growled. "You murderer! Why? It was in cold blood! I thought even an outlaw like you had more honor than that!"  
  
Seth just shook his head sadly. "No, no. Not I, Gene. I did not kill her."  
  
"LIAR!" Gene screamed. "YOU DAMN GODFORSAKEN LIAR!" His finger tightened on the trigger.  
  
Seth lifted his head to look Gene in the eyes. He lifted his arm to point an accusing finger right at Gene's chest. "You killed her, Gene," he whispered. "You murdered her. You are so overcome with evil; you used it to hold her down, and to make the cut. hatred, Gene. Your hatred!"  
  
"NO!" Gene screamed, backing away, eyes wide. "STOP IT!"  
  
"Your hatred is your drive, Gene. Your hatred kills!" Seth laughed insanely. "YOUR HATRED!"  
  
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Genes eyes shot open, sweat streaming down his face. He stared downwards, and had to keep himself from gasping at what he saw. In his hands he held a long butcher's knife, as he stood beside Aisha's bed. He stared down in shock and horror at the sleeping form of Aisha below him, laying sprawled on her back in the bed. The long knife hovered over her, deadly point aimed directly at her heart. He had been ready to stab. Gene drew himself away from the bed, shivering, nearly crying. He then turned and ran out of the room, past the kitchen, where he threw the blade into the sink, and into his room.  
  
He shut the door behind him, and staggered over to the wall near his bed. He curled himself up against the wall, arms wrapped around his knees. He sat there, eyes wide, for what seemed like an eternity. "What the hell is happening to me?" He mumbled. I almost killed her! He screamed in his mind. "What have I become?"  
  
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Gene has discovered that Seth is not the only danger. I hope you all keep reading, because this is where the story really picks up.  
  
To be continued. 


	5. The Slaughter Begins

Thank you all who gave me good reviews.  
  
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Gene woke up slowly the next morning. He was still curled up against the wall in his bedroom, and he forced his bloodshot eyes open. He had not gotten much sleep that night.  
  
He stood up stiffly and walked over to his bedroom door. He moved to open it, but his hand stopped an inch short of the keypad. He sighed sadly. He would not be able to face Aisha this day. Not after what he had almost done. He forced himself to open the door, and stepped out into the hallway. Staring at the floor, he made his way reluctantly to the kitchen.  
  
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"Where's Gene?" Jim wondered aloud. He was sitting at the breakfast table with Melfina and Aisha. "That lazy bastard! Is he still asleep?"  
  
Melfina shook her head sadly. "I don't know. He didn't look too well yesterday."  
  
"Yeah," Aisha chimed in. "He looked like somethin' scared him."  
  
One of Melfina's eyebrows rose questioningly. "Not much can scare Gene. are you sure?"  
  
Aisha just shrugged. She was about to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Gene entered the kitchen. He moved slowly, with a pained look on his face, but when he saw Aisha he quickly turned to look the other way.  
  
Jim glanced at his sullen friend, and then he gave Aisha a look that said, "What the hell is wrong with him?"  
  
Gene sat down quietly next to Melfina, as far away from Aisha as possible. For once, Aisha didn't even try to start a fight with him, only gave him a worried look.  
  
After a quick glance around the table, Gene turned to Jim. "Where's Suzuka?" He asked.  
  
Jim smiled at him in an attempt to lighten the solemn mood in the room. "Oh, don't worry about her. She went out to buy some supplies somewhere."  
  
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Suzuka walked down the busy streets, a large bag in one of her hands. It was quite heavy, but it didn't seem to faze the warrior. Suddenly she stopped to lean against the front wall of one of the buildings. She looked across the street at all of the shops in front of her. She would need to stop at most of them; Gene's "supplies" covered a wide range of items.  
  
"Twilight Suzuka," a voice behind her stated, startling her. She spun around to find who had made the remark. Her eyes met with those of a blond haired man in a long, black trenchcoat. His cold blue stare burned into her eyes. If she was not as disciplined as she was, she would have flinched. "Strange finding you here," the man continued.  
  
Still keeping her face as smooth as ever, Suzuka asked, "Who are you?"  
  
"Gene has met me. I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned me."  
  
"He hasn't. But, how do you know my name?"  
  
"I have my methods." The man chuckled. Suzuka began to back away slowly. This man was very strange.  
  
"What do you want?" She demanded.  
  
"What I want? I want to duel you. Ah, yes. the great Twilight Suzuka. A superb challenge."  
  
Suzuka cringed inwardly. This man was treating a duel like a game! He was crazy!  
  
Slowly, she drew her boken. "All right then. if you really want to fight me, we'd best take this somewhere a bit less conspicuous."  
  
The man in the trenchcoat nodded. "Follow me," he said simply.  
  
Suzuka glanced back and forth nervously as the man led her through winding streets to a dark back alleyway. He walked to its dead end and stopped, turning around to face her. "There," he said. "Is that good enough?"  
  
"Yes." Suzuka muttered uneasily. She had a very bad feeling about this. This man could be leading her into a trap.  
  
"Ready?" He asked casually, whipping a long gun out of his trenchcoat. Suzuka stared at it in surprise. It looked almost exactly like Gene's Caster, but different. Simply looking at it made the hardened warrior want to shiver.  
  
"Ready," she replied as calmly as she could, holding her boken out in front of her with both hands.  
  
"All right, then," the man whispered. "Fight!"  
  
As soon as he uttered the last word, Suzuka was charging at him in an attempt to get a first move in. Right when she was almost upon him, he stepped casually aside. Suzuka gritted her teeth as his fist connected hard with her back, and she was sent sprawling forward. She stood up quickly, gasping. "Damnit!" She yelled at him. "I couldn't even anticipate that!" The man simply smiled. He raised his gun to fire, and Suzuka ran.  
  
Her eyes locked forward, she was about to glance to her left to get her adversary in sight, when the energy blast slammed into her side. She gasped as she was smashed against the concrete wall, the air rushing out of her lungs.  
  
Seth walked over to the fallen warrior, frowning. "Damn," he said. "I thought you'd be more of a challenge that that."  
  
Suddenly, Suzuka's arm whipped out and her boken slammed into the ground at his feet. A huge explosion seemed to shatter the alleyway, and when the noise subsided, she looked up. The man in the trenchcoat was gone. Suzuka sighed and stood up.  
  
She froze as she was pulled up the rest of the way, feeling a cold gun barrel pressing into the side of her head. Damn! She thought. How could I let him trick me like that?  
  
"Alas, even an experienced member of the OLS crew is uninteresting. Oh, well, maybe I'll have better luck with the others." The man sighed. "Oh well, I am done with you," he continued. "Do you want to know who I am? Listen carefully, because it is the last name you will ever hear. I am Seth Furngollse!"  
  
That final statement echoed darkly in Suzuka's mind in the few seconds before the man pulled the trigger.  
  
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Gene lounged on the couch at Starwind & Hawking's, eyes narrowed with boredom as he flipped idly through the channels. They had not gotten one call that day asking for their services.  
  
Suddenly, something on a channel caught his attention, and he switched back to it hurriedly. He did not know exactly what made him do it.  
  
It was a news program. There was an announcer on the screen, standing by the entrance of an alleyway. There was screaming that could be heard in the background, and silent lights flashed. Gene turned up the volume slightly.  
  
"To all who are watching this," the announcer began, "Heifong has just experienced a second horrific murder, both on the same day. The first victim was identified as a salesman named Fred Luo. I don't know how they did it; there wasn't very much left of him."  
  
Gene's eyes widened, and his mouth quivered. He could not believe this was happening.  
  
"It now appears that the grim remains of yet another victim have been found in this very alleyway that I am standing by. Officials have already identified the person as a young woman by the name of Twilight Suzuka. Officials say that-,"  
  
Gene switched off the TV. The controller fell from his shaking hands, and tears welled up in his eyes. The slaughter had begun.  
  
"SETH!!!" His scream of rage could be heard all throughout Heifong.  
  
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To be continued. 


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